After a hefty holiday of beer, bratwurst and bread in Germany I was in desperate need for some lighter food! As usual, he was making a curry (his best one to date in fairness) which delayed the light eating for another day. However, I was able to steal his lamb bone and make a boss stock. Then I was wracking my brains about what to do with the stock. The belly asked me to make hot and sour soup! This is really easy, tasty and doesn’t have the MSG you get in takeaway food. Although, I’m pretty sure whatever MSG is, I like it!
The base of the stock is all self explanatory in the picture above (I chuck anything in each time). I just cook it on a low heat for about 6-9 hours and then sieve all the ingredients. I put it in the fridge over night and skim the cold fat off the top in the morning. It freezes well or you just need to eat it within 2 days.
Hot and sour soup
- 200g of king prawns
- 2 lean pork chops
- 1/2 small white cabbage
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 4 spring onions
- 2 red chillies
- Chilli flakes
- Chinese five spice
- Cayenne paper
- Star anise
- 1 litre of stock
- 500ml water
- Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Rub the pork with lots of Chinese five spice and cayenne pepper
- Heat up the oil. Lightly fry the rubbed pork in a heavy bottom pan. After about 6 minutes, take out the meat and leave to rest.
- Shred/julienne the carrot and cabbage. Chop the chilli, onion and spring onion. Sauté the carrot, onion, cabbage and chilli in the left over oil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the star anise, stock and water to the vegetables, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add chilli flakes and Spring onion. Now add the rice wine vinegar tablespoon by tablespoon until you get your desired sourness.
- Finely slice the pork and add to the soup. Add the prawns and serve once they are cooked through (I use raw ones so they don’t have the texture of bullets after being cooked twice!)
Enjoy.
Making Food Lady 